1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of distributing digital contents.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known the contents distribution system that distributes contents to multiple receiving terminals from a contents server via a communication network. In this system configuration, the contents server distributes the digital contents to the multiple receiving terminals via the network. In the conventional distribution technique, it is only the contents server that possesses the contents to be distributed, and all other terminals are apparatuses that receive the contents. However, when demands for distribution concentrate on specific contents that the contents server possesses or demands for distribution of a large amount of contents occur, this system configuration cannot distribute speedily because of an increase in the amount of transmission.
In order to solve this problem, Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2002-269386 discloses the following technique. Namely, 1) a user, who desires to distribute contents, and a user, who desires to receive contents exchange information, through an electronic bulletin board provided by the distribution server; 2) the user, who desires to receive contents, sends the contents to the distribution server; and 3) the distribution server transmits the contents to the user, who desires to receive the contents, and pays the cost to a copyright holder and provides lots to the contents provider. However, in this system configuration, replicated contents will be easily redistributed.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2002-269461 discloses the following technique. Namely, one terminal that received distribution from a contents sever performs distribution to another terminal by a peer-to-peer communication, pays a predetermined amount of money as a using feed to a owner of one terminal, to, for example, offset an amount of money to be paid at the time of receiving distribution from the contents server, thereby providing a profit to a user to encourage a legal distribution.
However, in the technique disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2002-269461, complicated procedures are required such as registration to the contents server is needed at the time of performing distribution from the terminal. Moreover, at the time of collecting fees, another procedure is needed and, for example, bank transactions and credit cards are used. For this reason, users, who did not easily conduct such transactions such as young people, did not smoothly execute the distribution of contents.